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Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman

2005

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Author:

Helen HooverIllustrations by Betsy Bowen

A classic story with a message of peace, tolerance, and kindness—illustrated by Betsy Bowen

Beloved nature writer Helen Hoover tells a children's fable that will stir a sense of wonder and discovery in anyone who has ever felt the magic of the forest. Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman, charmingly illustrated with hand-colored woodcuts by renowned artist Betsy Bowen, is a classic tale with a message of peace, tolerance, and kindness.

If children of any age reside with you, look to Great Wolf and the Woodsman with a charming story.

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The Ely Echo

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Beloved nature writer Helen Hoover tells a delightful children’s fable that will stir a sense of wonder and discovery in anyone who has ever felt the magic of the forest and imagined it a lively village of talking animals.

Many years ago Great Wolf, a mighty hunter feared by all the animals in the forest, looked down on a deer, squirrel, and chickadee waiting for the Good Woodsman to provide a feast of cedar, corn, and seeds. The animals discover the Good Woodsman injured inside his house and with no fire in his stove. Worrying that he will freeze, the animals are disheartened that they have no way to help him. Great Wolf knew only he could rescue the Good Woodsman. When Great Wolf’s plan succeeds, the animals and the Good Woodsman invite the once-ostracized wolf to share Christmas dinner, and they realize that everyone has good things to offer if given the opportunity.

Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman, charmingly illustrated with hand-colored woodcuts by renowned artist Betsy Bowen, is a classic tale to be passed down and enjoyed by many generations.

Helen Hoover (1910–1984) moved to the wilderness of northern Minnesota in the 1950s. She and her husband Adrian chronicled their observations and experiences of life near their home on Gunflint Lake in a number of well-loved books, including Gift of the Deer, The Years of the Forest, and A Place in the Woods, all published by the University of Minnesota Press.

Betsy Bowen operates a fine art print shop and studio at the edge of the wilderness near Lake Superior’s north shore. She is author and illustrator of Antler, Bear, Canoe: A Northwoods Alphabet Year, Tracks in the Wild, Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book, and illustrator of A Wild Neighborhood (Minnesota, 1997) and Borealis (Minnesota, 2002).

If children of any age reside with you, look to Great Wolf and the Woodsman with a charming story.

—

The Ely Echo

Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman is a freshly illustrated release of the story by Hoover. Bowen’s wintry woodcuts lend a simple charm to the story of a wolf, a deer, a squirrel, and a chickadee who work together to bring help to an injured woodsman. The story is set on Christmas Day, but it transcends the holiday. The message of cooperating and seeing past differences and preconceived notions of who our enemies are resonates all year.

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Capital Times

A Christmas story so eye-catching that it will prove to be treasured picturebook reading all year round.

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About This Book

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